Attempting to move this story along. Let me know what you think!

...

53. A job

Elliot sighed and re-read the same page one more time, hoping the words would finally start meaning something to him. He knew it was too soon to expect a text from Olivia, she was still in the air, on a plane to Richmond. He missed her already and couldn't wait to go home and hear her voice again over the phone. He was actually glad that he and Fin got another case, however horrible it was for the victim. Working to get justice for the young girl took his mind off of missing Olivia for a while, and of worrying about her. He hated that she was so insecure, because it made him insecure as well. Not about his love for her, but about their future together.

Once he and Fin were back at the station, Elliot powered up his computer. He had thought long and hard about it, and he was going to do it. He was going to prove to Olivia once and for all that she was the one for him. It was worth everything to him. He started up a search, first finding Dana's Diner and then the contact information of the owner, which then led him to Dana's husband's office. His Captain had already left for the night and Elliot called the number on his screen right away.

"Bunning Real Estate, this is Mark Bunning. How may I help you today?"

Elliot was pleasantly surprised at how politely a young man answered the phone. He must be one of Dana's sons.

"Hello Mark, my name is Elliot Stabler and I'm looking for Noah Bunning. Is he in?"

"He is not Sir, but I can give you his cell phone number? Are you calling about a property you wish to look at?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," Elliot answered, and although he didn't have a specific place in mind yet, his stomach fluttered at the thought of going to Olivia's town to look for a place for himself. For them.

After ending the call with Mark, Elliot dialed Noah Bunning's cell. The real estate agent answered on the second ring and Elliot explained to him who he was and why he was calling.

"Oh, Olivia's friend. And you want to look at apartments in our town? So you're really serious about our Liv."

"I am Sir."

Noah Bunning was a very nice, understanding man. And a wise man. He told Elliot that he and his wife Dana had known Olivia from when she was just a child and they cared about her very much. Elliot told the older man that he knew Olivia had been hurt badly but that he wasn't going to hurt her. He really loved her and wanted to know a little about what kind of apartments were available to rent in town and what the costs were, so he could think it over and discuss things with Olivia.

"That's a very important step, young man. Discuss it with her. Who knows, she may surprise you."

When Elliot asked Noah what he meant, the man just chuckled and told him, "You'll see."

They exchanged e-mail addresses and Noah promised he'd send Elliot a few links to one-bedroom places so he could see if that was what he wanted. After ending the call, Elliot actually managed to get his paperwork done for the day. He hurried home to start looking at the apartments Noah had recommended.

...

Olivia felt heavy and tired once she was back home in her own room. She dropped her bag and let herself fall on the bed on her stomach. She sighed. It was good to be back home and it wasn't. She had gone home to sort out her feelings, but as soon as she'd left New York, she had started missing Elliot again. Just being near him, even if she didn't see him all day because of his job, was so different from being this far away from him. She turned on her back and pried her cell phone out of her back pocket to send Elliot a text to let him know she got home safely. After that, she was going to shower, eat and sleep. And the next morning, she needed to call Dana and ask her if she still had a job. She didn't know what she would do if Dana said no. She'd never been out of a job yet.

Olivia sat up and shook her head. Even if everything in her home town stayed the same, her life had already changed irreversibly. She'd given up her job for Elliot. She hadn't even done that for Dean. She knew she would have if he'd asked her, but it had never come to that. And more importantly, Elliot hadn't asked her. She'd done it herself, because she wanted to be with him, not because he had summoned her to come over. She smiled when she remembered the pure surprise on his face when she'd shown up on his doorstep, and then choked up because she knew he was sad that she'd left again. She didn't want Elliot to be sad.

She took another deep breath, sent her text and then peeled off her clothes to take a long shower. If she could just sleep, tomorrow would be a new day and she could start fresh.

...

Dana was not amused. Olivia knew she'd been a little miffed when she had suddenly decided to leave and she felt like a child confessing to stealing a cookie from her mother's cookie jar. She'd gone over to the Bunning residence to talk to Dana in person, and while Dana was happy to see her surrogate daughter again, she needed to be stern with her regarding her job.

"I already hired a replacement, hun. Couldn't let Sandy and Tina work overtime until you decided to come back. We didn't even know you would be back so ... I asked Julia to lend a hand and she's doing a great job."

"You mean Julia Millfield?" Olivia asked incredulously. "Nina's mom? Since when does she have time to work?"

"Now now, there's no need for that, Olivia. The thing is, I can't just send her away because you decided to come back. I promised her she'd be with us at least two months."

"Why two months?" Olivia asked and Dana shrugged.

"I had to tell her something. Figured that we'd know if you were gonna stay away or not in two months' time."

Olivia couldn't really argue with Dana's logic but she was a little rattled. She'd gone back home to think things over, but she didn't need that much time to think. She'd drive herself totally crazy. She decided to head over to the hospital. After her accident she'd only been there when it was absolutely necessary, because the place reminded her so much of Dean. But right now, she needed to talk to Kathy. Maybe she was ready to do some volunteer work at the hospital again while she took a few of the online courses she'd selected while she was in New York.

Kathy was very happy to see her again, recognizing that it was a small victory for Olivia to be back at the hospital voluntarily. After catching up with her best friend, Olivia headed over to the psych ward, and asked the attending nurse if they had room for a volunteer to keep the patients company during the day, and maybe take them out for a walk or to do something fun. She was asked to fill out a bunch of forms but when the head nurse spotted Olivia, she immediately told the other nurse that Olivia had already been cleared to work at their ward. She could start there on Monday as a volunteer and they agreed on three mornings a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

After that, Olivia went over to the Saloon. They weren't open yet but she knew that the owner was usually around during the day, taking inventory or stocking the place. She asked if he could use an extra bartender because she was looking for a job.

"Sorry love, can't help you although we'd love to have you," Bayard Ellis told her. "I do know the Dodds need someone at the Swamp, so maybe you could check there?"

Her visit to the Swamp was successful, and after she named all the ingredients of eleven different cocktails by heart, the owner William Dodds hired her as a bartender for the weekends. She could start that night, on Friday and would work from ten to four. Content that she'd been able to find some things to do, Olivia got some groceries and went home. She was going to try and rest up a bit after dinner, before she had to be at the Swamp. It wasn't her kind of music or crowd at all, but it was better than nothing. She was going to miss her friends and the music at the Saloon though, but she hoped it would only be temporary.

Lying in bed to take a nap, she didn't want to think about the reasons why all of this would be temporary. It could be because she'd get her job at Dana's back after Julia's two months were up. Or things could change even more. As she dozed off, her mind drifted back to New York and to the faces of the mothers and children she'd met at the shelters she'd visited. And to Elliot. Her sweet Elliot that she just didn't want to hurt anymore. She needed to make up her mind.

...

Elliot had been engrossed in his search for a suitable and affordable apartment in Olivia's town. He'd followed all the links Noah had sent him, and had looked around on the Bunning Real estate website some more. There were very nice two-bedroom places too, and they were way less expensive than in New York. But still, he wouldn't be able to keep his place in New York and also rent one of the larger ones in Olivia's town. When he got up from behind his laptop to get a beer, he was surprised to find it was already 11 pm. He hadn't heard from Olivia again after their early 'good morning' texts, and decided to call her. He was surprised when she didn't answer him, and he decided to wait a few minutes and try again.

Still no answer.

He sent her a text, asking her to call him. It wasn't like her not to respond, so after another fifteen minutes, he texted Kathy.

'Hi, do you know where Liv is? She's not answering her phone. Elliot.'

Kathy did reply rather quickly.

'Hey, I think she can't hear her phone over the music. No worries, she'll call you in the morning. K.'

Elliot frowned and typed another message.

'What music? At the Saloon?'

'No, she's at the Swamp. She got a job as a bartender there. She didn't tell you?'

Elliot bit the inside of his cheek and stared at the screen of his phone. He remembered the Swamp. It was a dark place with dark music. He didn't like it one bit that Olivia was working there. She'd told him she was going to Dana's to ask for her job back. She hadn't told him about this. Elliot decided he didn't want Kathy to get caught in the middle and typed a quick reply.

'Oh right. Forgot she was starting tonight. Thanks K, have a good one.'

He tossed his phone on the couch next to him and uncapped his beer. He took a long draw and leaned back, closing his eyes. Olivia was working at the Swamp now. So Dana hadn't given her back her job. He pictured Olivia moving around behind the huge bar in the middle of the place, while all the guests were ogling her. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

...

To be continued.